*This article is sponsored by Treatibles. Author Heather Wallace is working with this company to spread awareness of the benefits of hemp and phytocannabinoids for horses. By Heather Wallace Last night I had trouble sleeping. I had so many thoughts running through my brain. The focus of my thoughts was, unsurprisingly, horses and how to best keep them calm. Yes, I realize the irony. A few of my equestrian friends around the world have been dealing with kissing spine, stall rest, and pent up horses. Others have been dealing with trailering problems. Even the most bombproof horse has their moments. The bottom line is that equestrians are looking for safe and natural ways to reduce anxiety, reduce inflammation, and relieve pain in their animals. As an equine massage therapist, I suggest sports massage to relieve tension, reduce toxins, and stimulate endorphin release. Of course, true holistic wellness must address all aspects of the body whether behavioral, physical, and mental and address the core cause of the problem. As such, I know that massage is only part of a larger wellness program. There are many ways to naturally improve the health and wellness of your horse. I’m very excited to find there is now a product available that I think could be a huge game changer for horses. Phytocannabinoid-rich oil (PCR). Let me tell you a little more about PCR oil and how it can help your horse achieve balance naturally and without side effects. I first spoke with the founder of Treatibles, Juliana Carella, at the 2017 BlogPaws conference in Myrtle Beach. I had never heard of using cannabis treats for my pets and wanted to learn more about it. Like most people, I thought “how is this not giving my pet marijuana?”

Since our conversation and through my own research, I tried Treatibles hemp wellness treats with my reactive dog, Beau. I was incredibly happy with the results and wrote about our experience with their product.

I am a huge fan of Treatibles’ products. While most popular with dogs, we are trying to spread the word about the benefits available for horses.

Hemp Is Not the Same as Marijuana

The first thing you should know is that hemp and marijuana are not the same. Hemp is legal and is a common source of rope, paper, clothing, jewelry, and more. It is one of the oldest domesticated crops farmed by mankind. Hemp is a renewable and sustainable resource that has found resurgence of popularity in recent years in our organic health markets because it is highly nutritious.

The US marked all cannabis plants, regardless of species, a Class 1 drug several decades ago and as a result many of us associate hemp with marijuana. This is definitively incorrect. Hemp contains <0.3% THC (hallucinogenic) which the body processes faster than can be absorbed. This is not a recreational drug.
It is important to note that rather than industrial hemp, Treatibles uses higher grade, medicinal-quality hemp in their products sourced from Colorado, USA. Colorado has made inroads and passed legislation allowing for this “cash crop” to be grown.

International Experience at the Student Rider Nation's Cup

Congratulations to Cazenovia College Equestrian Team member Keeley Gambino on her recent success over the summer (August 3-5) at the SNRC (Student Rider Nation’s Cup) competition in Germany (Nürtinger Reitverein, Im Tiefenbachtal)!

She was a member of TEAM USA along with Lauren Franco (Mt. St. Mary’s University) and Amanda Pollack (Arizona State University).
Team USA was 8th overall out of 15 teams.(Germany won the TEAM competition and IRELAND won the Individual competition.)

By Ann Jamieson

From the Midwest to the Northeast, this has been a bad year for hay, and rain is the culprit. Rain is always the question mark: it seems either there is not enough of it, or too much. From the drought we’ve experienced the past few years we’ve now gone to rain that appears every day or two. And while rain makes the grass grow, it also ruins the hay.

The half-pass should be a floating effortless movement for the horse. This is one of my favorite movements to ride, as this lateral movement truly is a dance. It is also one of the most beneficial movements for the horse as it helps to develop suppleness in the horse’s back particularly in his sacro-iliac area. It affirms whether the horse is evenly engaging both hind legs and whether he is lifted and free in his shoulders and truly moving forward to the bit with a soft correct contact. It also enhances his ability to shift his center of gravity and to flex and develop his musculature as on one side his muscles are contracted (concave side) and the other the muscles are elastic and stretching (convex side).